A Certain Group of Overpowered Espers
by Paulzies
Summary: Kamijou Touma has always known his particular universe hates him with a passion. Plagued with misfortune, the poor Level Zero finally seems to fall into a situation that's way over his unnaturally spiky-haired head. But when it turns out that it's a completely new universe, our unlucky protagonist can't help but wonder if the same rules apply or if, for once, his luck has reversed.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, after months of procrastination, I finally read/watched Boku no Hero. And while reading it, I was constantly comparing it to the Toaru series on just how different they are. The Boku no Hero world is crazily strict when it comes to regulating Quirks, but the Toaru world is the complete opposite, and being a Level Five there basically means you can get away with murder and all kinds of nonsense.**

**And so I wondered...what if those worlds collided?**

**A few notes: **

**Touma here is gonna be a bit more powerful here. He's sort of inspired by the Touma in Looper's 'To Ascend' Fic on (which you should read, Touma's crazy OP there). But of course he's not going to be as ridiculous as the Level Fives here.**

**Also, Accelerator magically becomes healed, because losing access to the Misaka Network during this thing technically means he can't use his powers in an un-awakened state. So for convenience sake, he's healed. Plot-armor, deal with it.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Such Misfortune!**

Kamijou Touma:

Kamijou Touma flexed his right hand, watching his fingers curl one by one. The once-meaningless action is entrancing to him; since he's regained his memory, things have been making a lot more sense.

The Imagine Breaker, the _Invisible Thing,_ and himself. Touma now understands how everything is connected and he is happy that for once, things finally _make sense_.

And then things stop making sense when the ground below him turns into a black void that swallows him up and, for the first time in his life, his right hand is useless in stopping it.

Number One: Accelerator

Accelerator silently contemplates between plugging in his earphones, or simply reflecting away the sound waves that are coming out from Last Order's mouth.

"You don't need that walking stick or the weird necklace anymore, right? Doesn't that mean that it is now easier for you to take Misaka Misaka out to play?" The small girl makes an expression that he can only describe as 'pleading' (and definitely _not_ cute), before continuing to prattle on, "Misaka Misaka says as she is trying to hint that she wants to go to the playground."

He already has a snarky comeback loaded, but the sensation of falling immediately takes away any words that were in his throat. Looking down, he has no idea what this dark, swirling, vortex that he's sinking into is. The only thing that matters is that his abilities have absolutely no effect on them.

That, and, Last Order is bounding towards him on her short stubby legs. "Wait! Misaka shouts as Misaka tries to save him!"

The moment their fingers meet, Accelerator sends her flying off in the opposite direction, because the last he wants is for her to be dragged into a mess that even he can't get himself out of.

Just before he is completely consumed, he sees Last Order steadily crawl to her feet, too far away to do anything. Only then does he allow himself to smile, but that immediately snaps into a scowl because he knows he is not out of the woods yet.

There is a high chance that this is somehow that spiky black-haired idiot's fault, and Accelerator makes it a personal mission to punch him in the face if he sees him on the other side.

Number Two: Dark Matter

When the strange-looking portal thing opens up beneath his feet and Kakine Teitoku starts falling, he immediately creates a clone of himself with Dark Matter that ends up standing beside him, a completely neutral expression on his face.

A smile twitches into existence even when everything goes black.

It wouldn't do if someone needs his help while he's gone, after all.

Number Three and Number Five: Railgun and Mental Out

They are in another one of their childish arguments when they both stop mid-sentence and look at their feet, which have already submerged through the ground and into whatever that dark, swirly, mass is.

Misaka Mikoto's first reaction is to unleash an outburst at Shokuhou Misaki, wanting to find out just what kind of stunt she is pulling off with her mind-controlling powers _this time_. But her words sputter out of existence when she realizes Misaki is genuinely surprised.

And only then, does Mikoto start to feel afraid.

The drowning screams of the two Level Fives of Tokiwadai Middle School immediately causes a red-haired teleporter to appear, but by the time she arrives, they are both gone.

Number Four: Meltdowner

The only thing Mugino Shizuri can do before she vanishes off the face of the Earth is fire off an unending barrage of electron beams towards the sky, screaming profanities as the darkness swallows her up.

Number Six: ?

Aihana Etsu takes one step forward and suddenly finds himself falling through the ground.

Like almost everything about him, his disappearance is completely unnoticed, and the people around him walk past as if they didn't see a thing.

Number Seven: Attack Crash

Sogiita Gunha is barely fazed when the wormhole appears beneath his feet.

Instead, he dives straight down into it, pumping his fist and shouting as he does so.

"GUTS!"

The people around him are slightly confused, but the sight isn't as uncommon as far as Academy City goes.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Kamino is in ruins.

Through the giant television screen, Midoriya Izuku waits with bated breath for the dust cloud to clear.

_Come on, All Might, the whole world is watching, you can't fall here!_

Guilt and shame grip his heart. If he'd been a little stronger and a little faster, then Kacchan wouldn't have been kidnapped in the first place and none of this would have been necessary.

He wants so hard to jump into the fray and to help All Might. But when he looks down at his arms, still covered in bandages, he knows that he'll only be a burden to the Number One Hero.

Still, there has to be something he can do!

"There are people still trapped in those buildings."

Kacchan's words are soft, barely above a whisper, but compared to his normal brazen and coarse way of speaking, they carry far more weight.

Izuku is slightly taken aback. Kacchan's been standing right next to him the whole time, but like everyone else, his eyes have been glued to the screen watching All Might take on All For One. But now, with the fight on a temporary pause, Izuku takes a good look at his childhood friend, and he's stunned by how much his friend has changed in the past ten minutes.

He's also slightly ashamed it took him so long to see it.

Kacchan's lips are spread slightly apart to reveal a set of grit teeth. They aren't exactly out of place on his face, but instead of the usual excitement or anger, Izuku has known him long enough to tell that Kacchan is frustrated.

And afraid.

His fingers have clenched into tight fists, but that does not nothing to hide the trembling.

And then Izuku suddenly feels very selfish. He was feeling bad for himself for allowing Kacchan to be captured, but all this time he hasn't considered how Kacchan feels about the whole thing.

He follows his fiery friend's intense gaze on the screen, and gasps when he finally sees what Kacchan is looking at. He can see silhouettes hiding in the shadows of the collapsed buildings.

_So not everyone was evacuated in time. Damn it._ He scolds himself even more. Izuku now realizes that they should have focused on doing that, because as long as there innocent people in the vicinity, All Might cannot fight at his full strength. Instead, they got themselves dragged into the fight, and now regular civilians are paying the price for his mistakes.

He knows the sense of of helplessness he feels is reciprocated by Kacchan.

_Don't worry, we'll get stronger together,_ he wants to tell his friend.

But the gasps of the crowd steal his voice away, and Kacchan's widening eyes causes his own gaze to rivet back to the television screen.

All For One still floats in the sky. His mask has been destroyed, revealing a grotesque head that seems to have no eyes, while the bottom half of his face is covered by some strange breathing apparatus. His clothes are slightly torn but otherwise, he is completely unscathed.

The same thing cannot be said for All Might. Izuku instinctively covers his mouth in horror and does his best to stop the tears from flowing. It takes almost a full second for Izuku to recognize his mentor even though he has seen him in his deflated state countless of times.

This is the weakest he has ever seen All Might.

The overly-muscular form of the World's Strongest Hero is nowhere in sight. Instead, it is replaced by a skinny, feeble-looking middle aged man on his knees. His trademark gravity-defying hair is gone, and scraggly blond hair fall in scraps all over his face. His youthful and self-assured visage has aged into that of a sullen man's, with dark eye bags and sunken cheeks that belong to a person who has experienced the pains and weaknesses of aging.

Blood trickles down his face, and that is finally when Izuku remembers that what he is seeing is being broadcast to the whole world.

_All Might's secret is out!_

"Is that...All Might?"

"It can't be, right?"

Disbelief and incredulity are the first reactions of the crowd. Izuku cannot blame them. He remembers when he first saw All Might in that form, how he had almost fainted, and the long explanation the Hero had given to him before he could finally come to terms with it.

When the ugly truth of reality finally sinks in, another primal emotion rears its head.

Fear.

"No...way, even All Might can't defeat him?"

"If even All Might can't win...then who can?"

Izuku can feel his nails biting into the skin of his palms. His heart is pounding against his chest, and even though he isn't involved in the fight, adrenaline begins to boil up within him. A feeling of weakness envelopes him. If All Might hadn't given him One for All...then perhaps All Might would have been able to win.

_This is all my fault! _And with that thought, the tears start to fall.

A slap to his head jolts him back to reality. Izuku turns, only to find Kacchan glaring at him.

"Don't you dare think...that this fight is over," his friend snarls, even though Izuku can see tears pooling in friend's eyes. "This is All Might we're talking about. He's the strongest, so don't go counting him out yet, YOU GOT IT?!"

Izuku sniffles. The people around them have been stunned into silence.

"The kid's right," someone says. "Even if he looks like that, he's still All Might, and All Might never loses!"

"Don't give up, ALL MIGHT!" a lady yells towards television screen.

"YOU CAN DO IT, ALL MIGHT!"

One by one, the people around him begin to cheer for the Hero. Izuku instantly feels ashamed. As All Might's successor and student, he of all people should have understood the Hero's position as the Symbol of Peace.

All Might can't lose.

He can't afford to, not when the hopes and dreams of the whole world rests on his shoulders. And for a brief moment, when Izuku had doubted All Might, it meant wasting the decades of effort All Might had put in to create that image.

_'When the world is covered by darkness, you must be the symbol of light. That is what it means to be a Hero!'_

_'A Hero must always be able to turn the tables and emerge from a difficult scenario victorious!'_

_'A Hero is someone who saves others with a smile on his face!'_

It is at this point that the other Heroes finally arrive on the scene to Izuku's relief, but their jobs revolves around supporting All Might. Gran Torino and Kamui Woods rescue trapped civilians and fallen Heroes, while Endeavor and Edgeshot work on distracting All for One. Even though the cameraman is on a helicopter far away from the fight, it's impossible to miss how they are screaming at All Might to get back on his feet and finish the fight.

Finally, All Might, the Symbol of Peace stands, taking his rightful place as the Hero among Heroes.

It's a coincidence, but he and Kacchan end up screaming at the same time. If he wasn't too busy pouring all his energy into his lungs, he would have smiled.

"ALL MIGHT! WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

And at that moment, everything seems perfect, until one voice in the crowd pipes up.

"Students! There are still students in the battlefield!"

And then Izuku sees it. At the outskirt of the giant crater made by All For One, a few teenagers are standing around, looking confused at their surroundings.

Even though there is All for One, the greatest Villain, and All Might, the strongest Hero, the camera does not zoom in on either of them. Nor does it focus on any of the other top-tier Heroes that are on the scene.

Instead, the entire audience watches in awe at the close-up view of a skinny white-haired teenager running and punching a spiky-black-haired youth in the face.

"Such Misfortune!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Kamijou Touma reels from the impact, though it is the sheer surprise from the punch rather than the pain that sends him tumbling to the ground. It's his trademark misfortune that a flying fist was the first thing he saw once he had recovered his bearings from the sudden warp.

Because the universe has decided that suddenly appearing in the middle of what looks to be a warzone isn't enough of a wake-up call.

He's surprised to see Accelerator towering over him, cracking his knuckles and looking _extremely _pissed off.

"What's your problem? Is that how you go about saying hello nowadays?" he says indignantly, getting to his feet. Touma's slightly more than irritated, because after a rocky start, his relationship with Accelerator has supposedly finally gotten past Accelerator's "kill-Kamijou-Touma-on-sight" phase.

And then something like this happens.

Accelerator's red eyes glare at him. "I don't know what you did, but hurry up and _undo _it so we can get the fuck out of here."

Touma is speechless. _He _was dragged here, too wasn't he? It couldn't possibly be his fault!

...Could it?

It's a sad testament to his life that Touma actually has to pause and wonder if he's done anything recently that might have triggered such an event.

Nothing comes up. He jabs an accusing finger towards Accelerator. "Hey, it's not me this time! I was just walking home when I fell into this weird vortex-thing!"

Accelerator scoffs, clearly not believing his innocence. Touma's about to launch into explosive tirade about manners and salutations when he realizes that he and Accelerator aren't the only ones here.

He doesn't recognize _everyone_, but he knows enough of them to realize something is not quite right.

The Ace of Tokiwadai Middle School, with her short brown hair and slender figure, Misaka Mikoto, ranked third among the seven Level Fives of Academy City. She's wearing her school uniform as usual, but her face reddens a shade when they recognize each other.

With a body physically impossible for a middle school student to have and her own army of followers, Shokuhou Misaki, the number five Esper. She flashes him a dazzling smile, and he suddenly feels guilty over the loss of his memories of her.

Statistically the weakest among the Level Fives, the outspoken and gutsy Sogiita Gunha, who gives him a thumbs up when their eyes meet.

And there are three more he doesn't recognize.

_Oh_ _no_. He does the math in his head. _Four...three...equals seven._ And instantly regrets it. _There are seven Level Fives, aren't there?_

"I see that all seven of us are gathered here, as well as one more," one of the unknown boys says, walking towards Accelerator with confidence and grace even Touma wouldn't have been able to muster. "I believe that greater powers are at play here, Accelerator. Let's not point fingers just yet."

Touma gets the feeling he isn't really human, simply because of how his body seems to have an unnatural white tinge, like it's glowing or something. Perhaps it's also the way he's dressed: a crisp maroon suit, with the tie loosened at the top. He almost feels..._transcendent_.

"Tch. So you're here too, I didn't even notice," Accelerator scowls. "Don't get in my way, _trash_."

The whitish boy ignores the jibe, and instead walks toward Touma.

Touma immediately steps back, because from past experience, getting mixed up with Level Fives is never good news.

In response, the boy sticks out a hand. "I'm Beetle 05, but you may also know me as Kakine Teitoku. I'm the user of Dark Matter, also ranked number two among the Level Fives."

If anything, Touma is surprised. He's never met a Level Five who sounded so...courteous and genuine. Not that Misaka Mikoto was a bad person, but her strong personality was...troublesome to say the least. But for the second strongest Esper to have such a meek personality...it's quite a pleasant surprise.

He stretches out his own arm to complete the greeting. "I'm Kamijou Touma," he says.

The instant his words leave his mouth, the number two Esper shirks back his hand, and Touma can't help but think that he's managed to somehow bumble up a simple handshake.

"Ah." Kakine Teitoku doesn't even hide his retreat, taking several more steps backward. "The Imagine Breaker. I've heard enough to know that I don't want to touch your right hand. I do like my body intact."

Touma narrows his eyes to take a closer look at Teitoku's body. On closer inspection, it really doesn't look like human skin. "I knew it. Your body's held together by your power, isn't it?"

A small nod is his answer.

The sensation of something _soft_ pressing against his back cuts off any further conversation as a pair of hands clamp down on his shoulder and a soft feminine voice whispers into his ear.

"Touma-_kun_."

It takes him less than a second to deduce that what's pressing against him isn't actually one object, but two, and his face instantly reddens as he peels himself away from the surprise attacker to face her. His eyes are naturally drawn to her chest to confirm his suspicions, and upon realizing that he is correct, he finally looks up to her face.

As usual, Shokuhou Misaki has that flirtatious grin on her face, and the way her eyes seem to twinkle has always been a mystery to him. And yet, he can sense the apprehension within her, the fear of not being recognized, a result of an old brain injury that prevented any memory of her from being recalled or formed.

"Shokuhou-san," he smiles. "It's nice to see you again."

First comes surprise. Her smile splits apart slightly and her eyebrows are comically arched. Then comes pure, unadulterated joy, as she leaps towards him and pulls him in a tight hug that nearly steals his breath away.

His face reddens again when the same sensation experienced on his back earlier is this time felt against his chest.

"You finally remembered!" Misaki cries out jubilantly, wiping her tears against his shoulders.

Touma feels awkward, given how everyone else is now staring at him, especially Misaka Mikoto, who has literal sparks flying out of her forehead.

"Brats, I hate to break up your little reunion," a new voice interrupts, and Touma sees another Level Five walk towards them.

"Meltdowner, number six," Misaki whispers into his ear, as if she can sense his confusion, which Touma realizes she probably can.

Meltdowner looks a little older than him, and Touma suspects she's around the age of a university student, considering her expensive-looking clothes and makeup.

She peels the two apart, glaring at a reluctant-looking Misaki.

"There's a bunch of angry-looking people walking towards us." The older woman points behind them. "And one of them is on fire."

Touma blinks. The man-on-fire isn't so much _walking _towards them as much as he is _hurtling through the air_. That's when Touma realizes he's flying, and dressed in some kind of skintight spandex suit.

_Cosplay?_ He's heard of Espers who were into stuff like this, but he's never actually seen one before.

The man comes to a halt in front of them. _He's really into this_, Touma realizes when he sees the fiery mask covering the man's eyes, as well as the flames hovering above his lips, resembling some kind of mustache.

"Children! You must evacuate the area at once! Do you not see that we Heroes are in the middle of a fight with a super-Villain?" His voice booms with authority.

The silence that ensues is slightly awkward and the man stares them down, as if expecting them to start running for their lives just because he told them to do so.

Touma is a little confused. Heroes? Villains? Since when did Espers involve themselves in such childish roleplay? And also, calling them children? Does the oddly-dressed man, an Esper himself, not recognize any of the seven strongest Espers? He frowns. There's something else about the Esper that doesn't sit well with Touma, though he can't quite put a finger to it yet.

"Aren't you a little old to be an Esper?" Misaki asks, a girly innocence to her voice.

Touma's eyes widen in realization. It's true. The Esper program only started about two decades ago. The man in front of them has to be at least in his mid-thirties.

The man looks insulted and Touma can see his face, covered in flames, get even redder.

"I-"

A scream of pain interrupts him. Something sails through the air and crashes near them. A man stumbles out of the newly-made crater. If it weren't for his injuries, Touma would have been laughing at the eccentric ninja-like attire he dons. But he's clutching his shoulder, which is clearly dislocated, and a steady stream of blood flows down his face.

"Endeavor, we need you in the fight." the man croaks out weakly. "He's gotten even more powerful." A shaking hand rises slowly to point at a lumbering figure at the center of the battlefield, and Touma suddenly feels his jaw drop from shock.

"Goddamned scientists and their fucked-up experiments," he hears Accelerator grumble.

He feels inclined to agree. That is no Esper. In his years with meddling with the Dark Side of Academy City, and even suffering through World War Three and the End of the World, Touma has never seen a living being that looks so grotesque.

He's huge, far bigger than any normal man. But that's only the top of the surface, and Touma begins to doubt if what he's seeing is even human. He gulps when the hulking figure turns its head to look at them. There is no hair, and its face is pockmarked with scars. Some kind of mask covers everything below the nose, but where its eyes should have been, there are only slight dents in its skin.

The only thing human about it besides its general shape is its clothes, which consists of a suit missing its tie.

It takes Touma a second to digest everything so far. It takes him nearly ten times longer to understand its right arm. It is almost the size of its entire body and naturally, it has ripped through the fabric of its jacket.

Touma really isn't sure what he's looking at. There are screws and metal rods sticking out of it. It pulses as new muscles and skin consistently adds itself to what looks like a rubbish pile of flesh and instruments, and Touma is certain he sees a spring for a moment before it is covered by another layer of tissue.

"That's fucking disgusting," Meltdowner says, and Touma silently nods his head in agreement. There is no doubt in his mind that Academy City has something to do with the monstrosity before him, and he's repulsed at the lengths they go to in their quest to sate their curiosity.

And then in the blink of an eye, the thing is suddenly right in front of them.

_Teleportation?_ Touma wonders. _Or could he just be that fast?_

Up close, Touma feels the bile rise in his throat. With so many physical modifications, the thing in front of him looks to be more machine than human.

"Hello Endeavor. The children behind you look to be very brave. Are they also aspiring students training to be Heroes?"

Its voice sounds muffled, and strangely robotic. Touma finally begins to understand why they call it a Villain.

The fiery man, Endeavor, does not give a verbal response. Instead, the flames that coat his body increase in intensity by a hundred fold, and Touma can feel all the sweat that's built up so far evaporate instantly, and even his eyes begin to feel dry.

"Run!" Endeavor turns to them and shouts. "I will stall him!"

Flames erupt from his feet like jet engines, and Endeavor propels himself towards the _thing_ with speed Touma can barely follow. The ninja-dressed man is hot on his heels, yelling a battle roar as he charges.

The swing from its arm is so powerful that it creates a literal shockwave, and Touma has to bend down slightly and raise his arms to avoid losing his footing.

He sees Endeavor and the ninja sail through the air like flies that have been swatted away, and the menacing entity begins lumbering towards them.

"So uhm. I think you guys can handle this?" Touma says nervously. He takes several steps back. "So I'm going to slowly back away."

Accelerator, rude and fearless as ever, takes several steps forward instead.

"Don't! He'll kill you!"

A new voice enters the fray, and Touma traces it to a blond man standing far away. He can't see very clearly from this distance, but it looks like the man's proportions are comically uneven, with one side far more muscular than the other. _Another experiment? Or is this an Esper with the ability to manipulate his body?_

Accelerator ignores it completely of course. The other Level Fives show mixed reactions towards the Villain. Disgust. Curiosity. Pity. But not one of them has an ounce of fear. Of course, Touma feels plenty afraid, because unlike these monsters, he's a Level Zero who doesn't have the ability to wipe out a small country.

"You." Accelerator's voice is so full of confidence and disdain that even the Villain is slightly taken aback. "Were you the one that brought us here?"

It immediately starts to chuckle. "No no. I have no such grand plans like that. But I will admit that I am grateful for your presence. No better way to destroy All Might's will to fight than to kill a few children in front of him."

Touma can feel the corners of lips beginning to sink. He feels like he should interfere, because pissing off Accelerator like that is literal suicide. But before he can do anything, the deafening roar of thunder interrupts him.

Funny, he swears the sky was clear earlier. He turns to look at the culprit, and he sees that Mikoto already has a coin within her palm.

Touma starts to feel bad for the Villain, even if it is supposedly a bad guy. It's just insulted them, and if there's one thing he knows about Level Fives, it's that they're all prideful idiots just itching to fight.

"Bullying the weak?" Sogiita Gunha immediately steps up, puffing his chest and crossing his arms. Even though there is no wind, the jacket draped over his shoulders is somehow fluttering behind him, adding another mystery to his supposedly enigmatic powers. "That is not a gutsy thing to do at all! I, Sogiita Gunha, will stop you!"

"Cute," the Villain says mockingly. "Let's see you stop this."

He swings his fist down at Accelerator, who doesn't even move a muscle.

"Tch. If it wasn't you, I guess we don't need you alive then."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Move!_

All Might commands his legs to pick up the pace. He's running on fumes now, and it takes almost all of his energy just to engage Muscle Form on a single arm.

Even so, his weakened body and injuries means that his maximum pace is only slightly faster than an average jogger.

_MOVE!_

Endeavor and Edgeshot are still lying motionless on the ground, and the other Heroes are nowhere to be seen, having not returned from evacuating civilians.

_MOVE!_

But they have to come back. Their job isn't finished. There are students, _mere children_, standing haplessly in front of All for One, and the only capable of stopping them right now is him.

**_MOVE!_**

There's a spark. He feels it. There is still some fire left in him, enough for one quick leap to save the children.

But then All for One's hand swings down, and All Might feels as if his heart has broken into a million peaces.

_They're right in front of me, but I can't reach them._

_I can't save the people I can't reach._

_Pathetic...PATHETIC!_

The roar of pain shakes him out of his thoughts. He looks up, and feels relief wash over him like a tsunami when he sees that all of the students are unharmed. But there is something wrong with the scene. Blood gushes out of All For One's Quirked-up arm like a fountain, and with a start, All Might realizes that everything past the elbow is completely missing.

Something suddenly lands in front of him with a meaty slap.

His jaw drops.

The fingers are still clenched, and little spurts of blood are still coming out from the exposed blood vessels of the hand that should've been connected to the elbow, but it's unmistakably All For One's arm.

_How?_

He takes another look at the scene, wondering if another Hero has entered the foray. No, only the students are there. Was it the power of their Quirks then? All Might finds it almost unbelievable that someone half his age can deal such a blow to All for One so easily.

The skinny white-haired teen looks up, and All Might shudders when he sees the manic and bloodthirsty expression on his face. "What's the matter? Weren't you going to kill us?"

All Might pours more energy into his legs. _Don't provoke him! Now's the perfect chance to escape!_

The blood flowing from All for One's newly-acquired stump trickles to a halt and the giant of man brings it up to look at it, as though he is fascinated by the now-missing appendage.

"Interesting. What kind of Quirk is that?"

"The fuck are you talking about?" the boy narrows his eyes, bending down and picking up a small piece of debris.

"I want it."

All Might's eyes widen in horror. _NO!_

Vine-like tentacles shoot out from All For One's body, all aimed at the defenseless boy. They surge towards him, and All Might knows that the moment they touch him, All For One will gain his Quirk and become even more unstoppable.

"AMAZING PUNCH!"

It's the result of years of fighting experience that All Might can even see what happened. Another one of the students, this one wearing a headband below his spiky hair, simply zoomed in front of the white-haired one. All Might is fairly certain that he moved just slightly below Mach One, but the speed of his ensuing punch far exceeds that.

He saw the air in front of boy's fist compress, before exploding forward with enough force to match a Detroit Smash. It's terrifying, seeing someone else have a Quirk that can rival both All For One and One For All.

The results speak for themselves. The vines are shattered instantly and All for One is blown off his feet and crashes into the ground a few meters away.

"I didn't need your help, asshole," says the white-haired teen, scowling.

"Perhaps not," comes the boy's reply as he nods in satisfaction to himself, "but when I see someone that wants to hurt others, my guts tell me I have to do something about it! That is what an ally of justice does!"

All Might limps forward some more. Bickering among each other while fighting All for One?

"Someone that can reflect my attacks. Another that has the same physical strength as All Might. Yet, I have never heard of any of you." All for One unsteadily gets to his feet. "I am caught between curiosity and anger."

All Might watches as his arch-nemesis' arm regenerates itself.

"But clearly, you have all become threats I cannot ignore."

_Plink_.

He turns to look at a short-haired girl flipping a coin. The spinning coin falls in the air and time almost comes to a complete stop when it reaches the same height of her outstretched hand, which is poised to flick her thumb.

And then the coin vanishes, even to his trained eyes.

It's as if some has drawn a straight orange line from her to All For One and then past him. It's almost blinding to look at, but All Might forces himself to anyway. A deep gouge runs along the earth below the trajectory of the coin, and the sonic boom of the attack forces All Might's feet to skid just slightly.

_What...is that?_

A faint memory comes to mind, one where he was visiting the U.S.A.'s top-secret and hi-tech Anti-Villain department.

The smell of ozone confirms his suspicions when he follows the flight-path of the coin, which has blasted through several layers of concrete.

_The scientist pats the giant cannon behind him with no small amount of pride._

_"And this is our pride and joy, a weapon guaranteed to stop any Villain in their tracks. We call it a Railgun."_

His head slowly rotates back to All For One, who has completely stopped moving. The coin had flown straight past his face, and there are burn marks on it from just how hot the surrounding air became from the electro-magnetic attack. In all his life, All Might has never seen All For One scared before.

Until now, at least.

He looks to the culprit. The girl, who doesn't look like she's even in high school yet, has a nonchalant look on her face as she pulls out another coin from her pocket.

She points it straight at All For One. "Move another muscle and this one's going straight through your head."

And then finally, All For One sinks to his knees.

"I surrender."

Upon hearing those words, there is a flicker of happiness within All Might, but it is heavily outweighed by a feeling he can't really describe.

In the end, he didn't really do anything at all.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: I'm trying out a lot of new things in this fic (like writing in present tense), and I'm also trying to learn to juggle multiple protagonists in this story, so don't expect much from the writing.**

**On that note, do let me know how you feel about this premise and whether I should continue it!**

**(I didn't proofread this very much, so if you spot any mistakes do let me know!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**I'm pleased by the fairly overwhelming response the first chapter had. Hope to live up to your expectations with this one.**

**Unfortunately, this chapter's quite dialogue heavy, and might seem a little bit jerky. With so many characters to juggle between, it's hard to make transitions smooth while trying to ensure everybody gets some screen time. But don't worry guys, I'm trying my best to improve!**

**Chapter 2: Heroes, Villains, and now..._Espers!?_**

"I'm only in middle school, I can't have a prison record already!"

Misaka's sudden alarmed whisper to him causes Kamijou Touma to slowly peel his head from the table. He's hesitant to make any sudden movements, as if he's trapped in a room full of landmines and explosives. The analogy's not that far off because the seven Level Fives of Academy City can be considered the city-state's equivalent of a nuclear deterrent.

"We're not in jail," Touma explains. "We're in a _holding cell_. There's a big difference."

"Do you think my mom's going to know the difference? Oh no..." The brown-haired girl immediately curls up onto her chair. "What's the school going to say? I could lose my scholarship!" She then continues to mumble to herself softly enough that he can't hear her.

Touma sighs. He's fairly sure even a school as strict as Tokiwadai won't do anything that could cause them to lose a Level Five's patronage. On the other hand...

He, a lowly Level Zero, is completely vulnerable to being expelled, scolded by his parents (and Index and Othinus), and in the event he _actually_ _does goes to jail_, he can't bust out of it the way everybody else in this room can.

He surveys the room. They've been cooped in here for over an hour, while the police are supposedly contacting relevant authorities and their guardians. The guard assigned to watch them looks as if he's admiring them instead of actually supervising them.

Touma knows for a fact that all the security around them is purely ceremonial. The iron bars they're trapped within might as well be made of paper with Accelerator hanging around the corner, earphones firmly plugged in. When the police had tried to confiscate their personal belongings, a quick glare from the Number One Esper ensured that they were ushered into their 'temporary accommodation for the time being' as soon as possible instead.

Actually, he's a little surprised that everyone's here, given the notorious personalities of Level Fives. He didn't think everyone would surrender themselves willingly to the police right after the fight.

Something nags at Touma. He does a quick headcount.

_Seven?_

With him around, shouldn't there be eight?

He shifts his gaze to Kakine Teitoku. The Number Two Esper has a serene expression on his face as he plays chess with Meltdowner. Judging by the older woman's irate expression, Mugino is losing. He's not exactly sure what Teitoku's Dark Matter does, but it looks mightily useful if he can conjure a board game like that from out of nowhere.

That's Numbers One, Two, and Four accounted for.

Misaka is still talking to herself next to him, and he faces forward to see that Shokuhou Misaki is still staring at him with a dreamy expression as she sits across him. That's Three and Five.

"Four thousand! Four thousand one!" The endless counting of Sugiito Gunha, which previously was dismissed as background noise, causes Touma to throw a quick glance at the Number Seven Esper, who is still doing his push-ups on the ground.

Touma blinks.

"Guys."

His one word shatters the established status quo, and everybody stops what they are doing to look at him. Even Accelerator peels off one earphone.

"Where's Number Six?"

For a while, nobody says anything. Everybody simply looks around the room.

"Who knows?" Mugino Shizuri shrugs, her focus back on her chess game. "That guy's always been doing whatever he wants. I don't even know his name."

Touma frowns. He'd seen the elusive Number Six earlier, when they'd first arrived, but given the circumstances, he hadn't bothered remembering his face.

"You mean, Etsu-kun?" Misaki's voice is cheerful and sing-song. "He left just now."

Touma can feel his eye twitching. "When was this?"

Misaki taps her finger against her chin innocently. "Um...I saw him walking away just before we beat that Villain guy."

It's his subsequent face-palm that helps stop his face from collapsing into the table from sheer exasperation. "And you didn't stop him?"

She cocked her head. "Why would I?"

_Because we should be sticking together_, he wants to say. But then he realizes that all seven Level Fives being in the same room isn't really a good idea either.

"Yeah. What that guy does is his own business," Accelerator says. "He can take care of himself. He's probably already back at Academy City."

_In an hour? _Actually, he shouldn't be surprised, given how powerful the Level Fives actually are.

"Frankly, I don't understand why we're here," Mugino grumbles out. "We saved the day, didn't we? Defeating that Villain guy. They should be rewarding us."

"That may be true," Gunha says, his voice completely level despite mid-push-up, "but it's still a wiser decision to follow the demands of local authorities. Since we are no longer in Academy City, we will not have the political leeway being a Level Five grants. If they deem 'unlicensed use' of our abilities as an offence, we should cooperate with them."

Touma is happy. Finally another voice of reason.

"May I make a proposition?" Teitoku suddenly suggests, "if nobody calls for us within the next hour, I am not opposed to leaving through other means."

It takes a Touma a full second to understand the meaning behind his words. "You mean break out? We can't! If we weren't in trouble before, we certainly will be if we do that!"

Gunha stops doing push-ups and stands up next to him. "Kamijou-san is correct. We should cooperate with the law. Only people who lack guts will run away from their problems."

"I'm with Dark Matter," Accelerator pipes up from his corner. "When we bust out, you're more than welcome to stay here."

"Yeah, this is getting annoying," Mugino agrees. "I've got better things to do."

"But our ID cards are with them," Misaki points out. "And our cellphones too."

"Those can be easily replaced," Mugino says.

"For a rich girl like you, maybe!" retorts Touma. "But a student on a budget like me can't afford buying a new phone _and_ the replacement fee of Academy City's ID card!"

Instead of replying, Mugino simply gives him a derisive glare that makes Touma feel a little irritated. As if he needs another reminder that he's the only one here not Level Five.

It's a pleasant surprise that Misaki and Gunha are on his side. But the Jailbreak Faction has three as well. He turns to Misaka, the only who hasn't voiced her opinion on the matter.

Her face is pale, as if she's seen a ghost. When he rushes over to her, he can hear her muttering the words "impossible" over and over again.

"Oi, Misaka, are you okay?" He grabs her by the shoulders, shaking her gently. It's a testament to just how shaken up she is when her only response is the quickening of her breathing.

Mugino scoffs. "What's the matter with you, Number Three? Are you so scared of prison?"

"Shut up. I need to double check," Misaka immediately responds to the jibe, though it seems as if she's talking more to herself than Mugino.

Touma glares at Meltdowner. "Now isn't the time to making fun of each other. Misaka really looks as though she's having a panic attack."

He drops to a crouch so he can be eye-level with Misaka. "Misaka," he says gently. "What's wrong?"

Finally, the Railgun looks up, looking like she can cry at any moment. Suddenly, she presses her face into Touma's shoulder. "Everything...Everything's wrong!"

At this point, everybody realizes that perhaps something might actually be amiss, and they crowd around Touma, who isn't very sure how to respond to the girl sobbing into his shirt.

"The fuck did you do?" Accelerator questions.

"Indeed, Kamijou-san. A man should never make a lady cry," Gunha says disapprovingly, shaking his head.

Before Touma can even respond, Misaka stands up, using his shoulder as support.

"Everyone, I hacked into his phone and..." She points to the security guard. Her words are shaky, as are her legs, but she steadies herself before continuing. "We're in the Twenty-second Century," she announces.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The star-shaped markings in policeman's eyes fade away as Misaki relinquishes her control over him.

The room is completely silent as Misaki's trembling hands keep her remote, and the only sounds heard are of the policeman's confusion as he recovers from what he can only remember is an immersive daydream.

Touma slumps into his chair, pressing both palms over his face in a feeble attempt to hide from reality. "An alternate dimension? Is that even possible?"

The brief history of the world the policemen gave them, under Misaki's compulsion, disproved their initial hypothesis of time travel. According to a quick Internet search with the policeman's phone, the timelines don't match at all. There was no World War Three, no Espers, no Academy City. Instead, the basis of supernatural powers comes from Quirks, some sort mutation that appeared sometime in the early Twenty-first Century that has shaped society since.

But that can't be. Last Touma recalled, despite Academy City's vast scientific knowledge and technical prowess, there had been no proof that parallel universes existed.

But that wasn't proof that they didn't either. And then there's the whole Magic Side of things to consider too.

His can feel his brain working overtime as he considers the possibilities. Is Kamisato involved in this? Didn't his World Rejector ability give him the ability to exile others into other worlds?

He shakes his head. They'd come to an understanding. Kamisato wouldn't do something like this. Especially not without warning.

Then, perhaps another Magic God? He glances at his right hand. If that was the case, shouldn't Imagine Breaker have nullified it?

No matter how hard he thinks, his mind draws a blank. He gulps. The more heartbreaking implications of the revelation begin to sink in.

Family.

Friends.

Index...Othinus.

He isn't sure if he'll be seeing them any time soon. A flurry of memories play in his head as he recalls his most recent interactions with those dear to him. Damn it, he's only just recovered from his amnesia and regained more than sixteen years of his memories, so for something like this to happen...

"Such misfortune," the words slip out of his mouth instinctively.

Sighing, he diverts his attention to the others. The only one who seems remotely calm about this is Teitoku, who seems more curious about their predicament than anything else.

He's surprised at how emotional Accelerator is in response to this. The Number One Esper is cursing as he rams his fist into the wall over and over again, but controlling his vector manipulation so that it doesn't instantly disintegrate. Still, the web-like cracks starting to appear are certainly worrying.

A sniffling sound causes him to peel his gaze away from the tantrum-throwing Esper.

Mikoto and Misaki seem to be in similar states of shock, withdrawing into their chairs as they hug their knees towards their chests. Touma feels sorry for them. They're the youngest, so they must have been handling it the worst.

Meanwhile, Mugino seems only mildly annoyed, and Touma can't help but wonder if her life in Academy City was anything remarkable to begin with, given her under-reaction. After seeing the messed up things Academy City makes Level Fives do, he won't be surprised if that was the case.

But...Academy City didn't exist here. Until a few hours ago, he didn't exist here. Touma suddenly realizes that they are basically undocumented immigrants in the system. They have no money, no homes, no contacts. No one here is going to vouch for them or protect them.

Things are not looking good at all.

For a while, the holding cell is deathly quiet as everyone slowly comes to terms with reality and forces themselves to consider the aftereffects.

"It seems like we're in deep trouble," Sogiita remarks calmly, and Touma is quite sure he's managed to sum up everyone's thoughts pretty well.

Touma's interactions with Sogiita are limited, but he knows it's rare for the Number Seven Esper to sit still and think things through for such a long period of time.

"But in times like this, there is one thing we need more than anything else." He takes a deep breath, and then releases it with enough force that Touma feels his chair vibrate. "GUTS!"

Touma groans. But then he realizes that Gunha isn't necessarily wrong.

Gunha appears to have pumped himself up mentally. "We are Level Fives. We have overcome all sorts of obstacles through trial and hardship. We have gotten to where we are today by standing up every time we fall down. Let us treat this incident like any of our other setbacks, and overcome it with guts!"

"He's right."

It's Misaka that recovers first, Touma notices.

"We're the Level Fives of Academy City. If there's any group of people that can figure out how to jump back to our world, it's us."

Teitoku nods his head thoughtfully. "That's certainly true. If we work together, we might be able to come up with a solution."

Accelerator stops punching the wall, suddenly very interested in the conversation going on in the room. Touma takes it as a good sign. Between their intellect and mind-boggling powers, there's very little the Level Fives can't achieve if they're working together.

But then Mugino scoffs. "So? Even with your Dark Matter and Accelerator's vector manipulation, we have no idea how to create an inter-dimensional wormhole. And if we do achieve that, it's not like we have the coordinates to our original world. You idiots want to keep jumping around an infinite number of universes until we _somehow_ end up back home?"

The room becomes slightly colder when everyone realizes she has a point.

Touma feels frustrated. If only Othinus was here. Even though the Magical God lost her powers, she still has her knowledge, which would have been invaluable in this situation.

"Do you have a better idea, Number Four?" Misaki asks, finally back to her senses.

"Of course."

Touma can only describe the Meltdowner's accompanying smirk as sadistic.

"Somebody brought us here. So all we got to do is find that asshole and beat them up until they bring us back."

Touma wants to protest, but the ponderous expressions on everybody else's faces make him realize that it is indeed a possibility.

The sound of someone clearing their voice outside the cell interrupts their conversation.

"From the looks of your faces, I think you children finally understand the gravity of your situation. Woof."

_Woof?_

Touma looks up.

And nearly falls off his chair from shock.

Because obviously, there's no better sign that they're in a different world than a suit-wearing dog that _talks_.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"None of you exist. Woof."

They've been moved from the holding cell to some kind of conference room, a welcome change in scenery in Touma's opinion.

"The city-state of Academy City you call your home does not exist."

Nobody's brought up the fact that Number Six is missing, so Touma suspects that the authorities are unaware of his existence.

"None of the contacts in any of your phones are registered. Also, even the models of your phones haven't been released on the market. Woof."

There are other people in the room besides them. There's the dog-man that's speaking to them, who earlier introduced himself as the Chief of Police. There are also several serious-looking people in suits, and Touma recognizes one of them, a skinny blond man, from the fight with the Villain earlier.

The dog-man (Touma was too shocked earlier to remember his name), takes a remote and turns on a television.

"And let's take a look at the surveillance footage from the fight itself."

The video is grainy, but the unmistakable moment when they pop into existence from nowhere cannot be missed. Touma notices with relief that somehow Number Six wasn't caught on film.

"The seven of you seemed to have simply teleported into the fight. Woof."

The dog-man shuts off the television and turns back to them.

"These are all matters that need to be addressed. But before that, there is something else we must do."

A quick look is exchanged among the adults.

Touma immediately prepares for a battle when they stand up in unison.

And take a deep bow?

"The City and its government expresses its thanks for your assistance in defeating the Villain!"

If the gratitude can't be heard through their words and voices, it can certainly be seen from how their foreheads are almost touching the table.

Touma looks to the rest, not entirely sure what to do in a scenario like this. They have varying degrees of surprise on their faces, and next to him, Misaka twirls her hair nervously when their eyes meet.

He thought Misaka's helped out Anti-skill and Judgement countless times. Shouldn't she be used to being thanked by law enforcement?

"Ah, you don't have to do that," Touma says, trying to laugh away the awkwardness of the room. "We just happened to be in the area, that's all."

"Bullshit," Mugino spits out. "We didn't _'happen to be in the area_', some asshole dropped us there."

It's probably the coarse way she speaks, but when she's done, the policemen finally recover from their collective bow.

"We suspected as much," the dog-man says.

"So?" Touma asks them, "do you have any idea on what happened?"

Another man sitting the corner replies instead of the dog-man.

"We have a few leads to go on, but we'd like to understand how things happened from your perspective before we conclude anything."

So Touma tells them what happened, as do the rest of the Level Fives. The common theme is simple enough: a black vortex appearing beneath their feet and sucking them here.

After that, Misaka shares with them what they've discovered, without revealing the fact that she's hacked into their phones and the Internet, of course.

"So it's really an alternate dimension," the scraggly-looking blond man says. "I've never known such a thing to be possible even after being a Hero for so long."

"Neither did we," Accelerator says, unexpectedly participating in the conversation. "So getting back home is going to be difficult on our part."

The request for help is cleverly hidden, Touma realizes.

The dog-man sighs. "Unfortunately, the same can be said for us. Our technology isn't advanced enough. And the only Quirk user that might prove to be of any use is a Villain called Kurogiri. His Quirk seems the closest to matching what you've described so far."

"Is he capable of inter-dimensional travel?" Teitoku asks.

"Unlikely. We've yet to see any evidence that points to it being the case."

Touma frowns. "But even an ordinary wormhole should suffice, right?" He turns to Accelerator. "If we get you close enough for you to analyze the nature of his...Quirk, do you think you can replicate it? Learning how to create wormholes would be a good first step."

The policemen display obvious shock at his words, but Accelerator merely closes his eyes as he thinks. Given their abilities, it's likely that Accelerator and Dark Matter are going to be instrumental if they want to build a wormhole back home.

"Probably," Accelerator says.

"Great," Teitoku says with a pleasant smile. "Where is this Kurogiri Villain?"

"We...don't know," a lady admits. "We have teams trying to locate the Villains that managed to escape but..."

"That's a problem," Kakine says. "Perhaps I can help."

Without another word, the room is suddenly packed with strange, glowing, white beings, and Touma almost shouts in surprise when a ghostly figure glides past him.

There are a dozen clones of Kakine Teitoku, each looking just as serene as the original, and some of them are randomly floating in the air. A flock of birds fly around the room, their pale-white color blending perfectly with the ceiling. A beetle flies up to Touma, but when he touches it with his right arm, it shatters out of existence.

So this is what Dark Matter can do. No wonder Kakine Teitoku is Number Two. Touma doesn't doubt that the power can be as horrifying as Accelerator's if he wants it to be.

The policemen in the room are stunned. One of them reaches out to touch a beetle. Upon contact, it spreads its wings and buzzes away.

"These...these are real," he sputters out. "They aren't illusions."

"What a Quirk," someone else says in amazement. "To create so many different things in an instant...even Ectoplasm can't do this."

"Which brings us to our next point." Dog-man nervously clears his throat. "Your Quirks. By law, I'm afraid that I can't allow you to use them as you wish. So please...undo whatever it is you just did."

Touma blinks in surprise. While it certainly sounds more like a request than an order, the dog-man is still the Chief of Police. The problem is that the person in question is a Level Five.

Teitoku cocks his head in confusion, as if he's silently debating with himself. Touma makes a quick prayer that the Number Two doesn't kick up a fuss and start this world's next World War. His prayer is answered quickly when all the Dark Matter vanishes from the room.

The sighs of relief from all the police officers is quite audible.

Touma lets out a breath he was holding as well, turning to Misaka. "Phew, I thought that wasn't going to go well."

The girl, who's been listening silently and attentively to the entire conversation so far, nods. "Dark Matter's changed. I've met him before...and he was way worse than this. I heard he had an accident, and that's why he's different now. The old him..." she shudders "the old him would have torn down the entire police station just to prove a point."

Touma's about to reply when movement from Misaki catches his attention. She's toying...with a remote? Instantly, he understands what's going on.

"Misaki," he whispers furiously to the girl sitting next to Misaka. "What are you doing?"

"Gathering information, of course," the girl whispers back cheerfully.

No wonder the girl's been so silent.

"Stop that," Touma hisses. "You can't go around reading the minds of everyone you meet!"

Misaki pouts, but keeps the remote anyway.

With a start, Touma realizes that there's a strong possibility that he'a going to have to play babysitter with all these Level Fives. Most of them have never had a healthy respect for the rules, and Touma has a feeling that kind of attitude won't fly in this world.

His laments are interrupted by Sogiita Gunha standing up. The Number Seven has been uncharacteristically quiet so far, and Touma's a little apprehensive to hear what the eccentric teen has to say next.

"Barred from using our powers? Then how do we go about showing our guts when someone is in need of help? Surely you cannot expect a man to stand idly by when someone else is in danger!"

Touma supposes his concerns are fair.

Dog-man seems to have a scripted answer already prepared. "We have professional Heroes who will act in times of need. It is their jobs to respond to situations that you just described, but you have to go through a Hero School to acquire a professional Hero license, woof," dog-man says. "There are also extenuating circumstances when we allow people to use their Quirks to prevent the loss of life."

"Heroes?" Misaki asks innocently. "You mean people like Endeavor and All Might?"

The entire room flinches when she brings up the second name.

The dog-man coughs into his hand. "Yes."

"And it's their job to defeat Villains?" she asks again, playing the part of a confused schoolgirl perfectly.

Touma narrows his eyes. Misaki is up to something.

"Defeating Villains is only small a part of their job scopes. They also help in rescue efforts, relief aid in natural disasters,—"

"Villains like All for One?" Misaki interrupts. Her tone is playful and curious, but the smile on her face is not.

Touma gulps. _Misaki, we should be making friends here!_

This time the room falls silent. All for One must be the name of the villain that they defeated, Touma realizes.

"All for One is one such Villain," dog-man finally says, though his posture is far more wary than before.

"But your Heroes didn't defeat him," Misaki points out. "We did."

"That's not true," someone protests. "All Might was there, he could've beaten him!" The speaker points to the feeble-looking blond man, and Touma finds it difficult to believe that the Hero in question can even swat a fly right now.

He also finds the current discussion worrying. "Should we stop her?" he whispers to Misaka.

"She won't hurt them," Misaka says, pausing for a bit before uncertainly adding, "I think."

Misaki puts a finger to her cheek and makes a thoughtful sound. "You may be right. But since All Might is going to announce his retirement at the end of the day...does it really matter?"

Every adult in the room goes silent and still, their bodies stiffening like boards when Misaki announces something that Touma is certain is classified information.

All Might, in particular, goes as white as a sheet.

"How... how did you come across this piece of information?" dog-man asks, almost in a threatening tone. "He only told us ten minutes before I brought you in."

"So All Might is retiring, but your current Number Two Hero is nowhere near his strength." The Number Five Esper blatantly avoids the question. "Poor Endeavor-chan's going to have a big problem if another All for One shows up, isn't he?" Misaki says, faking pity in her voice. "What's he going to do if a certain someone...or even a _certain group of someones _that are just as powerful as All For One decide to become Villains?"

The threat Misaki is making cannot be more clear. Touma hastily intervenes.

"Oi, Misaki! Stop giving them the wrong idea! If we want to return home, we're going to need their help!"

"Little girl," the dog-man warns, completely ignoring Touma's weak attempts to clear their name. "We do not take threats lightly. There are thousands of Heroes in society. There is also local law enforcement, and if their presence is required, the military will step in as well. I can assure you that we have enough firepower to stop you if you do anything rash."

"Me?" Misaki makes an over-dramatic display of being faux-offended. "You guys don't need to worry about fighting me. You should worry more about _each other_."

"And that's my cue to stop her," Touma mumbles, getting up to smack her on the head with his Imagine Breaker.

But then the sound of dragging chairs and guns being cocked causes him to sit right back down.

Most of the adults are now standing up with their hand guns drawn. The problem is that they're pointed right at the dog-man, Touma realizes. Misaki pulls a remote from her pocket, winking at him and sticking out her tongue. Touma curses. He should've known Misaki wouldn't have given up that easily.

"What...what is going on?" the dog-man asks, sputtering out in disbelief. "Naomasa, explain!" He looks to the man standing closest to him, but the glazed look in his eyes confirms Touma's suspicions. Misaki has taken control of every adult in the room except for All Might and the Chief himself.

"All Might-san," Misaki says gently. "You don't have to activate your powers. We both know you're running out. I don't bite, I promise."

Touma balks in his seat when he realizes that the chair the skinny man was sitting earlier has now been filled out my someone nearly three times his size. Muscles that look too big to be humanly possible threaten to break the armchair. An uncertain expression crosses his face, and with a puff of smoke he transforms back into his original, skinnier form. A dribble of blood runs down his lip.

Touma blinks. That's certainly an interesting Quirk.

"Damn it," dog-man says in frustration. "What are the others doing? I pressed the panic button six times already!"

"You mean the twenty Heroes you had stationed outside?" Misaki beams. "They're taking a nap. Poor things, they're very tired."

Touma feels sweat running down his cheeks. The other Level Fives seem completely fine with this, except Sogiita, who is muttering something along the lines of, "Since she is a girl, I suppose such underhanded tactics are excusable." But...this can't be right! Misaki's basically taking the Chief of Police hostage!

The Chief of Police takes a few steps back. "Impossible." But when all the policemen deactivate the safeties on their pistols, he quickly raises his arms in surrender. "What...are your demands?"

"Why aren't you stopping her?" Touma furiously whispers to Misaka. "This is crazy!"

"She's the best person for this," she whispers back calmly. "As much as I hate to admit it, but when it comes to a battle of wits and words, she's the best person to have on our side, even among the Level Fives."

"But this isn't a battle!" Touma argues. "At least, it _wasn't_!"

"Misaki doesn't do things like this without a reason. She's _sly_, not _stupid_. Let's just see how things go."

Touma wants to argue, but seeing Misaka's trembling body makes him realize that she is holding herself back as well.

It takes every fiber of Touma's body to do nothing. _Trust in Misaki, _he tells himself. _She can read minds, not you, so she knows what's going on the best_, he reasons. Still, she shouldn't have read their minds in the first place!

"Demands?" Misaki sounds mortified. "You're making me sound like some kind of terrorist," she says, slightly offended. "No no, I just wanted to make a distinction."

Dog-man takes a deep breath. "And that is?"

"We're _Espers_, not Quirk-users. Our abilities comes from years of effort and research, not some lucky mutation. So that means that your silly rules don't apply to us, _are we clear_?" Misaki says the last part with a sinister smile, and Touma needs to remind himself that Shokuhou Misaki, the once-defenseless girl he saved, is now a Level Five, and actually does have the potential to destroy civilizations.

"Your little display is doing nothing to prove that you can be trusted to behave responsibly with your powers." The dog-man is surprisingly resolute, despite how the odds are stacked against him.

Touma bites his lip. Not that he wants her to do it or anything, but...can't Misaki simply brainwash the Chief of Police to give her what she wants?

"We saved your city," Misaki says.

"Out of self-defense, rather than any sense of altruism."

When he sees Misaki narrow her eyes in annoyance, Touma realizes that Misaki perhaps actually _can't_. It must have been because of the biological difference between dog-man's brain and a regular human's. That, or, maybe the dog-man has some kind of Quirk that makes him resistant.

He can almost hear the cogs whirring behind Misaki's mind as a staring battle ensues. He wonders if the unique personalities of the Level Fives stem from their strength, or if their unbreakable spirit is actually what has driven them to become so strong.

Then Misaki smiles. "You need us. You can't afford to label us Villains. Isn't that right, All Might?"

Touma lets out an audible groan. More mindreading?

Both the Hero and the dog-man have noticeable reactions, and Misaki continues to chatter on.

"Your Symbol of Peace has lost his powers, upstaged by a group of teenagers on national television." She gives a worrisome look. "Can you imagine the world's response if those teenagers become Villains in the eyes of the law? Oh the horror! Public morale will be at an all-time low, while _real _Villains will be reinvigorated to strike once more!"

"We have many heroes both capable and willing to step into All Might's shoes," the dog-man says, though Touma thinks it sounds a little too rehearsed. "It's not the end of the world."

"Is that a challenge?" Misaki asks, quite defiant. "Because you clearly don't understand who you're dealing with."

Touma blinks. Did she just...

"Oi." Accelerator stands up, sounding quite irritated. "Don't just go declaring war on the world on our behalf."

"That's right!" Sogiita loudly makes his agreement known. "As an ally of justice, I must say I am not on board with such an idea!"

"Yeah, Number Five, what the fuck?" Mugino props her legs onto the table. "Do you know how much of a pain it's going to be?"

Touma almost wants to cry from the sudden spike of rationality and common sense in the room.

"See?" Misaki says, completely unfazed. "We don't want to hurt you. You help us, and we'll help you!" The happy-go-lucky schoolgirl has suddenly returned. "Let the negotiations begin!"

_This is more blackmail than anything else, _Touma thinks.

And with that, the brainwashed police officers robotically keep their guns and take their seats, their motions completely in step. Their bodies relax when Misaki releases her control over them, and they act as if nothing's happened at all.

The door to the rooms slams open.

"Is everybody okay?" A man in spandex bursts in. So the Heroes hace awakened as well. "The panic button was pressed!"

Toum sighs. And things havw already gotten to a great start.

"...So, no GPS-tracking bracelets attached to our ankles. No twenty-four-seven Hero escort. No restrictions on our abilities. No housing us in that secure location that's hidden beneath your military base in the mountains..."

As Misaki continues to recite a list of way-too-specific conditions and stipulations, Touma very quickly understands the rationale behind her earlier actions. The troubled looks and tightening fists of the police officers doesn't escape his notice at all.

The authorities never intended to let them walk freely.

And Misaki ends off her impromptu speech on a perfect note. "So you can go tell your mean Prime Minister that's listening to this through hidden microphones that if he's going to get in our way, we won't be lifting a finger to help the next time a Villain causes any trouble. In fact, we might even help them instead."

The room is so silent that Touma's worried his pounding heart can be heard by all.

Misaki is terrifying. Given her overly-mature body and the display he's just seen, he's now ninety percent sure that there is no way Shokuhou Misaki, Number Five Esper of Academy City, is a middle-schooler.

"And there you have it. Those are our terms," Accelerator says, standing up. "We'll give you some time to think about it. We're going back to our little cell."

There's a moment of confusion among the Espers, but when Accelerator starts walking away from his seat, everyone hastily stands up as well and follows him. Before shutting the door behind him, Touma sticks his head back in.

"Sorry about that, everyone," he apologizes in embarrassment.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Dog Damn it!"

All Might is startled when Chief Kenji slams his paws into the table and swears loudly.

"She made a fool out of all of us! Woof!"

He's worked with the Police Chief for years, and he's never seen the dog-man hybrid this agitated before. Still, he shares similar feelings. A telepath of that caliber is unheard of. Easily taking control of more than two dozen people without any kind of contact with them?

If the girl ever decides to carry out her threat and actually become a Villain...All Might immediately shudders. There's very few things that can stop her without getting innocents and bystanders caught up in the crossfire. Even worse, she's already shown that she has the ability to create a civil war within the Hero Association with her seemingly limitless telepathic abilities.

"The most terrifying thing about her..." All Might says the words softly, but internally feels happy inside when the whole room looks at him. He still has their respect, at least. "Is that she's only Number Five."

The room is packed. The Heroes that were outside on standby earlier have filtered into the room. They look guilty and ashamed for having slipped up, and All Might recognizes a few colleagues from U.A. amidst them. He can't blame them. The girl's powers took them all by surprise.

"Does that mean she's ranked fifth among the seven of them?" one of them asks.

All Might doesn't even want to think just how powerful their Number One is then.

"I won't be surprised." Chief Kenji, having calmed down, points to the screen which is showing the battle with All for One. He pauses at the projectile attack that ultimately leads to All for One's surrender. "Our analysts have managed to calculate that the speed of her attack is three times the speed of sound." At this, a few people in the room gasp. All Might is unsurprised. He saw the electromagnetic attack with his own eyes, and that number seems correct.

Chief Kenji continues. "And according to All Might, the ammunition she used was an everyday coin." Murmurs break out. A few faces look to him for confirmation, and All Might solemnly nods his head. Chief Kenji waits for the noise to die down. "Obviously, we can assume that she can cause much more destruction if she'd used something more heavy duty."

All Might can see a few skeptical faces in the crowd. It's a tough pill to swallow—this lone brown-haired girl has more firepower than some _countries_.

The rest of the meeting continues on with a more somber mood, which only gets worse with every subsequent analysis of their abilities.

They have no idea how the white-haired one reflected All for One's punch.

They are horrified when All Might confirms that the boy with the headband can punch just as hard as him.

The display from the glowing one earlier, when he conjured up countless objects is also an enigma they don't even know where to start from.

And then there are two more whose abilities are completely unknown.

When they are done, Chief Kenji rests his paws on the table, letting out a resigned sigh.

"That is why I have called you here, Heroes. I need to know your honest opinions. Can we beat them?"

Everyone stills. Even All Might can't help but feel depressed. Here, in the safety and privacy of the police headquarters, there is no need to keep up appearances. There is no need to deliver hope to the everyday citizen. There is no need to look at the bright side of things. They can be honest, and the truth hurts.

"We're going to have to throw everything we've got at them," Present Mic says. "Multi-Agency effort. SWAT teams and armor too. But there's definitely going to be casualties"

All Might finds himself nodding his head reluctantly. The telepath's presence means that superior numbers might be a liability, but the sheer firepower of the others demands an overwhelming force.

For the first time, Chief Kenji finally sits down on his chair at the head of table. "Is there no other option other than following their demands? They might be more powerful than our Heroes, but they are still children! There must be something we can do!"

A eureka moment hits All Might, but he hesitates. In his current state, does anything he say even have value? He shakes himself out of self-pity. Even if he is no longer a pro-Hero, he is still a faculty member at U.A. Academy. Nurturing the next generation is something he still can do.

"We can teach them," he says, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "We can teach them to be Heroes."

It is something he _must _do.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little dry. To be honest, my key goal in this fic is to work on character interaction. Given all the dynamic and interesting ensemble of personalities in this fic, it's going to be a real challenge and I see a lot of potential I hope I can bring out.**

**As always, do let me know how you felt about this chapter in a review or comment. You can PM me too, especially if you're interested in being a Beta-reader for this! :)**

**Like/Fav/Follows are always appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this chapter is a little short. That's because this chapter is kind of a crossroad of sorts. You'll understand what I mean when you finish reading it. Also, can I just say that writing in present tense was a horrible mistake?**

**Thanks to my new Beta-reader Jack for his help!**

**Chapter 3: U.A. Academy**

_"A school?!"_

Pretty much everyone gasps out when they see where the bus carrying them has stopped.

_U.A. Academy._

Touma is as surprised as the rest. He doesn't know why he expected anything else from the phrase '_state-sponsored accommodation_'. Then again, it's like not it matters. He's spent his whole life in Academy City in a dorm, so it's not like anything much has changed.

_Except everything outside the dorm_, he reminds himself, _a whole new world and all that_.

He's a little dismayed at how quickly he's recovered from the whole 'transported to another universe' thing, if only because it's pretty much admitting to himself that he will never actually have an ounce of control over his life.

Having Imagine Breaker and the Invisible Thing sealed into him doomed him from birth.

Index falling onto his balcony exposed him to the Magical Side of the World.

Meeting Misaka, her clones, and Accelerator dragged him into the Dark Side of Academy City.

Then there was the whole debacle with Fiamma and World War Three.

The list goes on, and recalling one catastrophe after another only makes Touma utter out a dejected sigh. "Such misfortune."

"Oi, Mental Out," Mugino says sharply. "You knew about this, didn't you? Actually, you _planned _this, right? We could've been staying in a five-star hotel, but you picked a _goddamned school_?"

Touma frowns. Mugino's making sense. Misaki should've known all this beforehand at the very least, right?

Misaki looks up from her thoughts, giving the Number Four Esper a blank look. "No, I didn't know about this at all," she says, "I was caught just as off guard as you."

"Liar," Mugino immediately lashes out. "There's no way you weren't digging through the brains of everyone who walked past us, or the bus driver, or that shitty retired Hero!" Her arm straightens out to point at All Might, who is supposed to be their chaperone.

The skinny blond man deflates even further and makes defeated expression. Touma feels bad for him. Meeting the Meltdowner has been an enlightening experience. Who knew a woman with such a pretty face could have such a crass mouth?

"I'm not lying," Misaki says, pouting. She suddenly runs over to him, hugging his arm tightly while pressing it against her ample chest. "After all, Touma-_kun _asked me to stop doing all that stuff, so I did!"

"Wha-" Touma immediately tries to pry his arm away but fails miserably. Shokuhou Misaki has a surprisingly strong grip for someone Misaka claims to have zero aptitude in physical activities. And what's with this blatant invasion of personal space?

Touma can feel his blood pumping around his body as his discomfort grows. It's almost embarrassing, especially given Mugino's ticked-off expression. But can he really blame Misaki? Is it really fair for him to assume, given how she can read minds just as easily as she can words off a page, that this girl actually has any notions of boundaries and personal space? "You're going to cause a—"

"—Hey, _you_..."

_ZAP!_

A bolt of electricity strikes the ground between Touma and Misaki, causing the latter to finally release his arm as she scoots away to safety.

"...aren't you getting a little too _chummy_ with her?" Misaka Mikoto grinds out, glaring at him and looking pissed as hell.

"...misunderstanding," Touma reluctantly completes his sentence. Seeing Misaki's playful expression, Touma knows that this is exactly what the blonde telepath was aiming for. Honestly, shouldn't the only two Level Fives who go to the same school be the ones who get along the best?

"Are you three done playing around?" Accelerator drawls out. "I'm tired. Let's just get this over and done with."

The words of the strongest Esper instantly erases the tension in the atmosphere.

Sensing the opportunity, All Might, who previously looked as if all the life had been sucked out of him, stands straight with renewed gusto.

"That's right! Let me introduce you to U.A. Academy, the finest high school in the nation! I, All Might, was once a student here, and now I have the honor of teaching the next generation! Come, let us begin our tour of your home for the foreseeable future!"

He flashes a smile which occupies half his face, and Touma is slightly impressed at how someone who looks so disheveled can behave so lively.

When the Level Fives seem to display a marginal amount of interest and follow the Hero's lead, Touma lets out a sigh of relief. That was a close call. Honestly, he doesn't understand Misaka and her random outbursts at all. Sometimes she gets flustered and embarrassed, but there are moments when she literally explodes into sparks as well. Then again, for a developing girl, isn't moody behavior normal?

Touma can't really recall all the things he learned about hormones and puberty and whatnot, but having that mess happening inside a Level Five can't be good news, can it?

Wait a minute.

He's never needed to think about this before, but given his current circumstances, a terrifying thought hits him.

Aren't..._all _the Level Fives in their prepubescent stages? Wait a minute, why are so many of the most powerful people on the planet only slightly older than _children_?

There's Index, a literal walking library of the world's most powerful and dangerous spells, who's probably still in middle school.

The Saint, Kanzaki Kaori, was somewhere around his age, if he recalls correctly.

And the people that currently surround him, the Level Fives of Academy City, are technically students by occupation. Even Mugino's probably a supposed college student on paper. Doesn't that mean that every single one of them is currently experiencing the human psyche's most volatile state?

Except Dark Matter, but only because Touma's pretty sure that Kakine Teitoku's existence can't even be described as human. To prove his point, the Number Two Esper, instead of walking, _glides_ above the ground like some kind of astral spirit, humming an innocuous tune as he does so.

His gaze shifts to Accelerator. Touma knows that he's been through hell since birth, to the point he doesn't even remember his own name, and Touma's seen him snap countless times. Sure, the white-haired Esper's mellowed out and stabilized a bit, but there's no guarantee that it's going to stay that way. He's going to have to keep an eye on him.

Misaka and Misaki are both only middle school students, and that's probably when the changes are the most intense right? He's already seen the kind of damage their abilities can do, and given how they apparently can't get along with each other, is it really wise to stick them in the same building? Wait...but they both lived in Tokiwadai, and the school still's standing. Perhaps their situation isn't as bad as it looks?

As All Might leads them into the school grounds and recites to them all kinds of interesting facts about U.A. Academy from a stack of flash cards he's reading off, Touma feels his gaze drawn to the only real lady in the group, Mugino Shizuri, aka Meltdowner.

The fourth ranked Esper is someone he hasn't interacted with at all, but what little he has managed to gleam off from her personality doesn't look too promising. The only bright side is that she's probably fully matured, and thus less prone to random outbursts, right?

Touma forces down the sigh when his mind brings up the ever-elusive Number Six. He doesn't know if Aihana Etsu's disappearance is a blessing or a curse. It's great that one ingredient has been removed from what's already an explosive mixture, but the fact that there's a Level Five wondering around this new world and left to his own devices just doesn't sit right with Touma. Hopefully, the enigmatic teen maintains his personal style of keeping to a low profile.

Last, but definitely not the least, there is Sogiita Gunha. Touma knows that the borderline-cosplaying teen is a fellow high school student, but he can't help but feel that Sogiita's mental maturity hasn't caught up yet, given his Chuunibyou-like mannerisms. Then again, society here seems to have developed some kind of Hero-complex, so perhaps the erratic Number Seven Esper will ironically fit in the best here.

Touma stops walking when the weight of responsibility drops onto his shoulders like an anvil. And then there is him. Kamijou Touma, unluckiest man alive. He can't count the number of lives he saved, or how many times he's stopped a potential catastrophe-slash-apocalypse. In this world, he's the only one that truly knows the power that the Level Fives possess, and he's the only who's actually managed to stop them in the past as well. Won't the natural order of things result in the job of keeping them in line falling onto him?

No no no. This is unreasonable. It's _beyond_ unreasonable. It's bullshit!

He's a lowly Level Zero! All he can do is negate the supernatural with his right hand!

The tingling sensation in his chest forces him to retract that statement.

Ah. He's almost forgotten about the Invisible Thing. He clenches his fists. Certainly, his newly-understood power will offer some kind of counter-attacking potential but...

but...

But he'd have to _cut off his right hand!_

This time the sigh does escape his lips.

"And of course, what makes U.A. Academy so famous is its one-of-a-kind Hero Curriculum!"

Touma's ears perk up at All Might's declaration. Training people to be Heroes, eh? If only things were that easy. Did Academy City even try? Or were they content with letting overpowered Espers run amok as long as their experiments weren't jeopardized? Actually, wouldn't Heroes interfere with their twisted experiments?

"The teachers here are all Pro-Heroes! As new residents of U.A. Academy, please feel free to join any of our classes! While I know that many of you already have a firm grip on your powerful abilities, but U.A. prides itself on having its students go Plus Ultra! We strive to realize every student's _maximum_ potential as we teach them to control their powers and have them realize the many different applications their abilities can have!"

All Might gives them a big thumbs up.

"Plus Ultra..." Sogiita repeats ponderously. "It sounds like this is a school that teaches you guts! I like it!"

The retired Hero looks overjoyed upon hearing it.

Joining a Hero school that teaches students how to control their powers...Touma can't help but stare at his right arm.

"Hmmm," Touma says, raising his hand. "Maybe I'll give it a shot, too."

It can't hurt, right?

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Are you _actually _an idiot?"

Touma flinches.

He's sitting in _seiza_ position in his room, while Numbers One, Three, Four, and Five are standing around him. Even though Accelerator's the one scolding him, the rest of them don't look very happy either.

Dark Matter more or less disappeared the moment All Might left, and Touma doesn't know if he has any plans of returning at all, while Sogiita is completely knocked out on the sofa in the lobby downstairs after a lengthy and passionate discussion with the Hero.

But now isn't the time for Touma to be worrying about other people.

"Well, I thought it was a good idea," he says, defending himself. "There's a lot about my powers I don't understand, and maybe this school can help me with that."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Mugino asks. "That's playing right into the enemy's hands!"

Touma frowns. He doesn't see it that way at all, but Misaki puts a hand on his shoulder and shakes her head.

"Kamijou-san," she says patiently, her voice sounding exactly like Komoe-sensei's whenever he was in her supplementary lessons for missing too much class. "Do you perhaps not understand why they put us in this school in the first place?"

"I'm not stupid," he grumbles. "It's the next best thing to a prison, isn't it? A school for future Heroes, taught by Heroes basically already has anti-ability measures and security guards."

"Then?" Misaka asks, jabbing him. "Why'd you raise your hand? It's like putting yourself on a silver platter and giving it to them!"

"So?"

"So? Have you forgotten that we're trapped in a completely different world and we have to find a way to return home?!"

Touma feels _really _bad when he sees Misaka trying to blink away her tears after her mini flare-up. He hasn't forgotten that in the slightest. He lets out a deep sigh.

"I can't control vectors," he says, looking to Accelerator.

"I can't take over robots or shoot lightning, or hack into information networks."

Misaka sniffles.

He turns to Mugino and shrugs. "I have no idea what your powers are, but I'm pretty sure I can't do that either."

"And I can't read people's minds and take over their bodies."

Misaki smiles slightly.

He tilts his head.

"So what exactly do you expect me to do? All I have is a right hand that negates the supernatural, and I don't even know if Imagine Breaker even works in this world."

"In other words," Accelerator says, "you're stupid _and _useless."

Touma clicks his tongue. He hates to say it, but..."Yes. I don't see any way I can actually contribute to fixing this mess. So I might as well benefit from it. I might even learn something about myself that could help us."

He realized it earlier. It's absolutely true. For now, they're still in the information gathering stage, trying to figure out who sent them here or a way to get back. What's he supposed to do? Walk around the streets and question every suspicious-looking person he sees?

"But that doesn't mean that you should play into their hands..." Misaka mumbles.

And that's another thing he doesn't understand.

"Why are you guys treating the Heroes like they're our enemies? I mean...they're Heroes, right? All Might seemed really nice. And did you forget the way that Endeavor guy tried to protect us from All for One? They're not bad people, you know?"

"Oi. Have you completely forgotten what happened in the police station?" Mugino argues back, sounding pissed off. "We were in a holding cell for hours! And they wanted to trap us in a military camp! And that's _after _we saved the city!"

Okay, Touma has to agree with her slightly. It hadn't feel very nice, but at the same time, he empathizes with the government. The Level Fives are _terrifying_, and if he were in charge of a whole country, he'd do anything to minimize the threat they carry.

So he shrugs in response. "You can't blame them for it. It makes me uncomfortable to say this, but I think you guys are currently the most powerful people on the planet. And they know it. Which is why they're scared. Fear makes people behave rashly."

Mugino snorts. "Well if they know that, then they'd better show us some _fucking respect_." She cracks her fingers as she scowls.

Touma gulps. "Let's not try to make more enemies here than we have to, okay?" he says placatingly

"Or what? You're going to stop me?" Mugino says defiantly.

He clenches his right fist. "I will if I have to."

He sees the surprise on her face. She clearly didn't expect that response. She grabs his shirt, pulling him up.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? I've been curious this whole time, Kamijou Touma, about why the Directors gave us that kill order on you a while back. So I did some research. You're a fucking Level Zero, but somehow even with my Level Five privileges, the higher-ups wouldn't tell me jackshit about you. The fact that you got dragged here with us means that you've got something special, but after watching you, I'm not impressed at all. If you weren't in fucking Denmark, I would've already killed you."

Touma grabs her arm with his right hand, meeting her piercing glare with an unyielding one of his own. So she was going to be trouble, after all.

"Why don't you try right now, Number Four?"

She smirks.

And then she frowns, narrowing her eyes.

"The fuck?"

"What's wrong, Meltdowner?" Touma asks. "Aren't you going to kill me?"

"Tch," she spits out, letting him go. "You're not worth the effort."

Inside, Touma feels relief flooding through his veins. Until now, he never got the chance to test if Imagine Breaker still worked in this world. The good news is that it does, the bad news is that, contrary to his own advice, he seems to have made a new enemy.

"That was cool, Touma-kun," Misaki says dreamily from the side.

Crap. Touma completely forgot about the others.

Accelerator rolls his eyes. At least Touma's on semi-friendly terms with him now. If Accelerator still hated his guts like before, he can't even begin to imagine the consequences.

When his eyes meet Misaka's, she instantly averts them, her face flushing slightly. Ah damn it. Of course she's not happy about this. Touma has to admit that challenging Mugino like that wasn't the most mature thing he's done. If things got out of hand...he shuddered. A Level Five was still a Level Five, no matter their rank.

He needs to maintain the peace. It'll only take one slip-up, and the whole school might be flattened as a result. Then being sent to a military base sounds almost welcoming. He'll wait for Mugino to calm down a little before he tries to patch things up.

"I've decided," Misaki announces, a bright grin on her face. "If Touma-kun is going to school, then I'll be going with him!"

Huh?

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Accelerator says.

What did she just say?

"What kind of stupid reason is that?" Mugino says, looking completely dumbstruck.

"Oi, Misaki..." Touma immediately tries to reason with her. She isn't like him; her skills are actually useful and needed in order for them to go home!

"Isn't this great, Touma-kun?" Misaki immediately latches onto him. "We can be classmates!"

"C-c-classmates?" Misaka immediately turns red, a look of horror on her face as she gives him a look of betrayal.

_Why me?_ Touma is taken aback. This is completely Misaki's idea, so why's Misaka glaring at _him_?

Misaki hugs him even tighter. Touma stiffens as he can feel her very feminine body pressed up against him. "That's right!" she says coyly. "We can sit next to each other, and study with each other, and eat lunch together!"

"Wait, wait," Touma sputters out, trying to wriggle out of her grasp. "You're a middle school student! We shouldn't be in the same class!"

"But All Might said that we can join any of the classes we want!" Misaki replied cheerfully.

Touma can't see a way out of his situation.

"I...I...I'm going to join the school, too!" Misaka suddenly declares softly after a brief stutter, barely above a whisper.

Touma's jaw drops. Misaki makes a displeased sound next to him.

"Biri biri, you too? Why?" he asks in disbelief.

How are they going to get home if everyone's going to class?!

She folds her arms and looks away. "I-It's not like I'm joining because of y-you... I have to make sure that Misaki doesn't do anything weird!"

"Blegh!" Misaki makes a face at her, causing Misaka to make one back.

_Oh no_, Touma realizes, as the girls start hurling insults at each other. These two are going to be in the same class as him. Wait a moment...

"How come nobody has a problem with_ Sogiita attending the school_!?"

"Because he's an idiot," all four of them say together.

Eh? Isn't that going to make things worse for him too?

"Such misfortune!"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You want me to play babysitter to _those _monsters?" Aizawa Shota says to All Might, who has prostrated himself in front of him.

What a sight, the world's Number One Hero, kowtowing to a mere high school teacher.

_Former_ Number One Hero, Shota corrects himself.

"Please," All Might says pleadingly, "I know that I was selected to watch over them, but this is way over my head! I have trouble dealing with normal students already, and these kids are _extraordinarily abnormal_."

"I know that," Shota says. He's been watching television after all. The news networks have been broadcasting the seven so-called 'Espers' non-stop, and even All Might's retirement has taken a backseat to their explosive debut. Still, despite having seen the replays countless times, Shota still has difficulty wrapping his mind around their abilities. "But you know, I've got a few troublesome kids in my class already as it is."

"Ah, about that," All Might says sheepishly. He scratches his cheeks, suddenly finding the floor much more interesting. "You know how the Principal asked me to invite them to join our classes?"

"Yeah?" Shota replies disinterestedly. "A flat zero, eh? I can't blame them. Who needs school when you've got powers like those. I mean, they wiped the floor with All for One, so what's there left to teach? It's okay, All Might, you tried your best so-"

"Four."

"Eh?"

"There are four of them who will be joining your class, Aizawa-Sensei."

Shota blinks.

No no. He must have heard wrongly.

"The Amazing-Punch-er, the unknown guy, the coin-shooter, and the telepath. They want to join."

No no. Four is beyond expectations. It's almost impossible. That's a twenty percent increase in class population. Twenty percent more homework to grade. Twenty percent more people to watch. But the trouble and effort involved? Far greater than that. The children will go nuts at their addition. Then there's the press to consider. And Bakugo...he doesn't know how the hot-tempered boy will react to their presence, but he doubts that his troublemaking student's competitive streak will make his life easy.

"That's too many," he states immediately. "Send some to Class B." He pauses. "Why not send _all _of them to Class B?"

For once, the other Hero Class should be getting some of the spotlight. Why is Class A always attracting all the trouble? At the very least, he should be getting a pay raise over Vlad-Sensei.

"The Principal's made up his mind. And they apparently want to stick together," All Might says, sighing.

Shota can feel the headache already growing. When it comes to super-powered kids, 'the more the merrier' didn't really quite fit.

"So?" Shota says, resigned to his fate. "What's the plan? I watch the four who'll be joining class, and you'll keep tabs on the other three, who will be doing god knows what?"

"That is what I had in mind," All Might agrees.

Shota bites his lips. He doesn't have the heart to tell All Might that this operation might be too tall a task for the retired Hero. Without his powers, he's just Yagi Toshinori, an ordinary man who doesn't have what it takes to keep up with the Espers. But he knows that All Might needs this.

"Okay," Shota finally says, "I'll help you."

Principal Nezu had better give him a raise for this.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You're finally back," Accelerator says when Kakine Teitoku casually glides through the dorm entrance.

Next to him, Mugino cracks open her eyelids, taking a look at her watch.

"It's almost midnight, where the hell were you, Dark Matter?"

"Exploring," Dark Matter says jovially. "Alternate Tokyo is such a fascinating place."

"Did you find out anything useful?" Accelerator asks.

"No. Were the two of you waiting for me?"

"Yeah," Accelerator admits, slightly unwillingly. "We need to talk."

Kakine tilts his head. "Should we gather the rest? I assume this is about finding away back."

"No," Mugino says. "The others are going to be completely useless. I don't know what's gotten into their brains, but they've chosen to attend lessons." She scoffs. "Like it's going to be of any fucking use."

"Perhaps we should give it a try, then?" Kakine says, sounding slightly intrigued.

Accelerator feels an eyebrow twitch. "I'll kick your ass if you do that."

"Ah," Kakine says in understanding, taking a step back. "I realize our conundrum now. It's up to the three of us to find a way back."

"Yep," Mugino grumbles. "With the four of them playing students and Number Six doing who-knows-what, we'll have to lay the groundwork of our escape attempt. Then if we need any of their help, we'll drag their asses over."

"I see. Well, that's what I had in mind in the first place, anyway," Kakine says, taking a seat. "So I have no objections."

Accelerator looks at Dark Matter. Truth be told, while he knows that the new Kakine Teitoku still doesn't have a shot at beating him, Accelerator doubts that he can actually defeat Kakine anymore. In a way, they have both achieved a form of immortality. One can't be killed, while the other can't die.

Does that make them equals?

"Huh?" Mugino asks. "Why only the three of us? Number Three and Five can be pretty useful too, you know?"

Kakine shrugs. "Well, I don't think the authorities are going to be of much use. And our first lead also happens to be a Villain. I don't recall either of them having much experience in dealing with underworld affairs. Even if their abilities are versatile, they can just as easily botch things up and let our target escape."

Realization dawns onto Accelerator. He points to Mugino.

"ITEM."

The girl's eyes widen.

"SCHOOL," Kakine says.

Then Accelerator points to himself. "GROUP."

"I see," Mugino says, smiling for the first time since the start of the conversation. "The three of us should be enough then."

"So?" Kakine Teitoku asks. "What name shall we give to this new underground cell we've just created?"

Accelerator thinks about it for a moment.

"FIVE."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: And there you have it. One group of badass Level Fives ready to kick butt in U.A. Academy, another group ready to raise hell within the outside world itself. And of course, we also have whatever Aihana Etsu is doing.**

**On a side note: Do check out my new story A Real Saki Life! It's a Naruto SI Fic that I'm excited about!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hi all.

After much consideration, I've decided to abandon this story. Surprisingly, this is the first abandonment notice I've given. Even the Fallen Messiah hasn't been officially abandoned simply because every once in a while, I do think of ways to continue. For my other "abandoned" stories, there is always the chance that I might update them.

This will not be the case for A Certain Group of Overpowered Espers.

There will be no more updates.

Ever.

This is not your fault. I was quite arrogant, I suppose, to have assumed that I could portray seven (give or take) characters that Kazuma Kamachi (Author of the A certain magical index series) spent years fleshing out and characterizing. Especially considering how rusty my Toaru knowledge is. Your reviews made that quite clear. No content creator feels happy when their work is criticized, and I am no exception. But they are important. They made me realize that despite the successes of my other stories, it doesn't mean that suddenly everything I write is above average.

So for that reminder, I suppose I am grateful.

I know there aren't a plethora of amazing Toaru Fanfics out there. That's one of the many reasons I wrote this in the first place. Seeing all your reviews made me quite happy that the Toaru fandom is active and passionate for good quality fics.

If that's the case, why aren't you writing them?

The Toaru world is amazing. I loved reading it, even via sub-quality translations, and one of the reasons I'm trying to learn Japanese now is so that I can enjoy the Toaru-verse in its natural state.

After reading your many (negative) reviews, I can't help but feel disappointed. There are so many of you who are _way _more knowledgeable and passionate about the Toaru-verse than I am. You should be writing too.

This is not some "Don't criticize me if you can't do it better than me" rant. This is a plea to all of you who feel the same way towards the Toaru-verse.

Write.

It doesn't matter if you're bad (most of you will probably start out bad, writing takes time, and even I know I'm not even close to the standard I need to be). But this is fanfiction, so no one expects anything from you, especially when you're a newbie. But as the fandom and community grows, so do the quality of the stories. I'm sure all of you want to read good fics. The fact that some of you can write reviews more than a hundred words long shows that you do.

There's a common saying that many of you should have heard of before. "Be the change you want to see."

I forced myself to come up with a story for the Toaru verse because I wanted to see more Toaru fics. Telling authors who are trying their best that they're not doing it right isn't enough. Set the example. Try it out yourself. And, inevitably, when someone tells _you_ that you're not doing right, learn from it.

Don't give up just because you're not good at it. I'm not. I like the Toaru verse too much to give up on it like this. I'm going to improve, and keep working on my writing. And then one day I'm gonna write a freaking amazing Toaru fic.

But don't take my word for it. Be the change you want to see. Write you own fic. Start your own adventure. Let's make the Toaru fanfiction community as good as the FSN/DxD ones or something like that.

For all of you who have enjoyed these past few chapters, I thank you for your support and encouragement. They have been priceless. I'm sorry to keep y'all waiting for nothing.

But I'll be back, I promise.

-Paulzies.


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